Questionable Guidance
by ViciousHerring
Summary: Takes place approximately one year after Burning A Garden. There's a lot to learn when you become a space pirate, especially when you'd barely started grade school on your home planet. I do not own any Marvel characters. Rated T for coarse language and violence. Critique is always welcome. Followed immediately by A Parental Phone Call.
1. Chapter 1

"Wha'd I say?" the blue man says sternly. He folds his arms and stares down at his adopted son.

"No..."

"Damn right! Now you get your humie butt in that simulator," Yondu gently kicks Peter's behind, nudging the boy toward a strange-looking pod. "You ain' touchin' one o' my ships 'til I know you c'n prime the drives without blowin' up."

The young Terran pouts, "But Kraglin told me the M-ship's 're nothing like the sim."

Udonta grits his teeth, he feels his patience being stretched, he drops a hand on the boy's shoulder and kneels to be eye-to-eye with the child. "The consoles are in the same language, boy," he thumps Peter on the chest for emphasis, "That's what you gotta be payin' attention to. You c'n hit every single button in that sim and learn what all them symbols mean, an' do it without droppin' anymore real missiles inside my real ship. You understand me?"

The nine-year-old fidgets under that red, alien gaze, "Yes, Sir."

"Good," the Ravager Captain smiles a jagged smile, "Now, g'won, get to it. I come check on you in a while."

"But..."

"No but's, Peter. I already tol' you what to do if Gef tries ta hang you up like cargo ag'in, didn' I?" The kid nods but still hesitates, Yondu lifts the boy's chin, "An' what did I tell you, son?"

Quill brightens a tiny bit, he can't explain it, but he kinda likes it when the Captain calls him 'son.' "Kick 'im in the face."

"Tha's right," Udonta replies, "An' when 'e drops, wha' do ya do then?"

"Keep kickin' 'im, aim for the tender bits," Peter starts to grin, "Gef's all tender bits."

The Captain snorts and swallows a laugh, "Tha's true, but what bits are we actually aimin' for?"

"The neck..."

Yondu frowns slightly and gives the barest shake of his head. He tips his head up and taps his fingers against his throat.

"The throat."

The Centaurian nods once and lowers his hand to rest over his belly.

"The gut," Peter answers the unspoken prompt.

Yondu nods again, his brow lifts and he locks eyes with his adopted child. His hand lowers again to hover over his crotch region.

The young Terran snickers, "And the balls! ...But dingin' a man's balls should be an escape move or I'm likely ta get shot."

"There ya go!" Udonta chuckles, "I know you ain' afraid of a fight, son, but ya gotta keep yer wits about you. Tides turn as they do an' sometimes you gotta hit hard," he fakes a punch to boy's gut, Peter giggles and blocks the hit, "an' skedaddle. Ain' that right?"

"Yes, Sir."

"That's my boy," Yondu shakes the kid's shoulder and climbs to his feet. "Now, g'won," he says as he pushes Peter toward the simulator again, "No Ravagers in my faction that can't fly, an' you ain' abou' ta be the first."

"No, Sir!" Quill exclaims and darts away, "I'm gonna be the best pilot in the whole clan! I'm gonna be better than Maverick!"

Yondu chuckles again as he watches the child climb into the simulator. "Sure... whoever that jackass is..."


	2. Chapter 2

Peter makes a note on his paper and punches another button. "Damn," the boy murmurs, "I thought... hrm." He stares thoughtfully at his notebook.

"Hey pipsqueak," the First Mate says as he leans into the hatch of the sim-pod, "How's yer first flyin' lesson goin'?"

"Hey Kraglin," Quill mutters, he makes an annoyed sound and looks up at the lanky Xandarian, "I thought I was gettin' somewhere, but now I'm lost... Controls don't just change on their own, do they?"

Obfonteri frowns and looks at the simulator's displays. "No, shouldn'," then he sees what the kid might've missed, he points to a set of alien symbols on the left side of the HUD, "Unless yer running yer jump drive an' don't know it. See?"

"What?! ...Aw, man," Peter squints at the digital figures and carefully copies them to his notebook. He whispers to himself as he adds his translation, "Jump... drive... on."

"Hmmm," Kraglin hunkers down, leaning right into the pod. "So that's yer language?" he asks, tipping the notebook so he can see it better, "I think I've seen that before... What's it called? Terran?"

"It's English."

"Inglish...?" the First Mate snorts, "That's a weird name fer a language."

Quill makes a face, "No, it isn't."

Kraglin blinks at the kid and gently pulls the notebook from his grasp, "Yeah it is. On Xandar we speak Xandarian." (I don't think this is actually true.)

"There're hundreds of languages on Earth," Peter explains, he finally thinks he understands what his grandpa used to mean about someone being 'exasperating,' "English is the one I know."

"An' that is a sign of a primitive planet," Kraglin says and bops the youngest Ravager on the forehead with the notebook, then he stands. "Come with me, I think we got somethin' that'll make this easier for ya."

Peter scowls and climbs out of the sim-pod. "My planet's not primitive," he grumbles as he jogs to catch up to the tall pirate.

"Yes, it is," Obfonteri replies casually, he taps a sequence onto a panel in the wall, activating an auxiliary console, "Your race still thinks they're alone in the universe, kid. Alright, let's see..."

The boy's mouth opens to respond, but he can't actually argue that one. Instead, he shoves his hands in his pockets and kicks at the grate flooring. "I knew we weren't alone in the universe."

Kraglin snickers as he brings up the ship's database. "Hmm... Ing, nope, ing... lesh," he murmurs and frowns at his results, "That ain' it... Sample... okay." The First Mate motorboats his lips and holds the notebook up to small scanner.

"That is still so cool," Peter breathes as he watches a green beam pass over the paper, "It's just like Tron..."

"Hunh, sounds like a bar on Contraxia," Kraglin replies as he manipulates the rendered image for his search. He hands the notebook back to the youngest Ravager and focuses intently on the console for a moment. "You got that computer Cap'n give ya?"

"Um... no."

Kraglin's hand flashes out and whacks Quill on the shoulder, "Why the hell not?"

"Ow! Tullk's got it at the nav," Peter rubs at his arm, "Cap'n said he's gonna show me how to read sector maps."

Obfonteri glances sideways at the child, he whacks the kid again.

"Ah! Hey! What was that one for?!"

"Should a led with that 'stead'a makin' me ask," Kraglin answers calmly, his attention hardly waivers from the displays.

Peter grimaces, if this is what it's like to have a big brother, he's not sure he's a fan. "Cap'n Yondu told me not to volunteer information," he mutters, and the First Mate whacks him again.

"Don' sass me when I'm doin' you a favor, Pete. It ain' nice."

"Rrr," Quill growls and swats Kraglin's arm in return, "I didn't sass you!"

The lanky Xandarian's brows knit together and he glares, not quite meanly, at the nine-year-old. He throws his hand out to thump the boy a fourth time, but Peter blocks the hit, so he tries again, and again.

The ensuing slap-fight ends only when Quill takes a chance knuckle right to the bridge of the nose.

"Shit!" the kid yelps and grabs his face, Peter can hear Kraglin chuckling.

"If yer done, you c'n go get yer comm-pad now. When this search comes back, it ain't gonna do you much good if you can' take it with you."

"What!? You started it!" Peter swings a fist, and Kraglin grabs it easily, engulfing the boy's entire hand and wrist with his long fingers.

"An' I jus' ended it, too," Obfonteri says, spinning the boy around and kicking him in the rear. "You bes' run, Peter, you know I hate waitin' on ya."


	3. Chapter 3

Quill runs, and he grimaces at the pirates around him as he passes. He's making good time for running almost the whole length of the Eclector. In fact, the immediate trip to and from Tullk on the bridge has, so far, been unexceptional in every way.

Peter turns a corner, the closer he gets to his goal, the more excited he becomes as he realizes exactly what Kraglin's doing for him. He'll be able to read! Learning all these alien alphabets has been daunting and with no ready way to translate them, since his first mod nearly fried his brain, Quill's kept his focus on mastering numbers, but now! Now the galaxy will be his!

It's an odd feeling, being excited to read... Not that Peter was ever opposed to reading, but he supposes it's different, this time, because on Earth everything was in HIS language, or, at least, everything he'd seen was in his language. He even knew a few words in other Earth languages. He didn't realize 'til this moment how much he'd taken the skill for granted. This new life got a lot less scary with the translator implant, it'll be even less so once he learns to read control consoles. And then, when he masters flying, maybe he can go home ...as a hero. Yeah, an outlaw hero...

The thought gives Peter a fresh burst of speed and he rounds another corner and slams right into Gef's tender gut. Quill bounces off the round Ravager and lands heavily on his back.

"Oo, looks like the cargo's running around again..."


	4. Chapter 4

"Ughhh," Kraglin lets out an annoyed groan, he's got much better things to be doing than waiting on Peter. Damn kid should 'a been back by now, he thinks. He punches the comm, "Hey, Tullk, Quill get 'is comm-pad from ya?"

"Aye," comes the tinny reply, "Boy yammered on abou' what yer doin' for 'im an' flew off like 'e had wings."

Obfonteri sighs, that means Peter probably got into something. "Thanks," Kraglin mutters, "I' cetch you at mess." He shuts off the comm and shakes his head. The First Mate sighs again and heads toward the bridge.

* * *

The boy squirms and kicks in Gef's meaty grasp, much to the delight of Wretch and Narblik, but the Ravager's got the kid by an arm and a leg and Quill's not even close to landing any hits.

"Let me go, Gef!" Peter shouts and twists and flails, "I'm not cargo!"

The pirates laugh, and Wretch kicks open a nearby crate. "Horuz says you are, and cargo's s'posed to go in boxes."

"This's what you get for kickin' me in the face!"

"NO!"


	5. Chapter 5

The kid can feel himself panicking, his breath comes in short, sharp gasps and his blood thrums in his ears. The crate lurches to one side and he slams against the hard casing. He knows those bastards are laughing and yelling, but he can't hear them through the dense material, which is secretly a blessing. Even at nine years old, if Peter could hear what they were saying, he'd murder them in cold blood.

It's getting close and hot inside the crate, and Peter vaguely recalls something about asperating... Aspasia... asphyxia, that's it. Suffocating. He knows he's running out of air and tries to talk himself down, but the box rattles violently and Quill is bumped and tossed and shaken til he can't help but shriek. And then it stops.

Peter sobs for breath in the stillness, his head feels thick and light from nowhere pulses at the edge of his vision. A single thump to the outside of the box makes him flinch, another sudden lurch, a half second of weightlessness, then falling. The boy loses consciousness as he's pressed against the top of the crate as it drops.


	6. Chapter 6

Kraglin steps onto the lower gangway and freezes mid-stride, he frowns at the three laughing Ravagers before him. Narblik and Gef and Wretch stand around a crate at the edge of the walkway. Wretch notices their superior first, he waves as Gef throws his hands in the air and drops a heavy boot on the crate.

"Cargo goes in the hold!" the bespectacled pirate laughs and kicks the box off the gangway, then he, too, sees the First Mate and waves, "Hi Kraglin."

Obfonteri's eyes narrow and he stomps across the platform and glares at his men. "What's goin' on, Gef?" he asks accusingly.

Kraglin is known among the clan for having such a particularly questioning tone that they swear he sees their misdeeds written on their faces. Few members of Yondu's faction can resist the guilt the First Mate induces, and Gef is not one of those few.

"A-a-a-a... I, I, I..." the rotund Ravager stammers.

Narblik grins at his friend's misfortune, then he spots something infinitely more terrifying than their angry First Mate. He quietly shakes Wretch's shoulder and motions for them to beat feet. The pirates flatten themselves against the railing and slink away just as Gef gives in to his superior's glare.

"I, I, I put Quill in a box a-a-a-and dropped him in the cargo hold!" Gef points to the level below, Kraglin follows the line of his finger and growls.

"You did WHAT!?"

The Captain's sudden shout makes both men startle and jump. Kraglin recovers first and punches Gef in the side of the head, knocking him right into Yondu's grasp. Udonta grabs the bearded man's collar and slaps him hard.

"We need that kid fer the nex' part o' this job," Yondu yells as he shakes Gef, "Where the hell is he?!"

Apologies stutter and bubble from the round pirate and he points over the railing. The Captain's eyes flash and his mohawk-like implant glows menacingly.

"If that boy's dead, you are, too," Yondu shoves his subordinate at Kraglin and nods for him to take Gef away.

Udonta sneers and vaults over the railing.


	7. Chapter 7

Before Yondu even lands (visual reference: Super Hero Landing!), he spots a crate that must be the one holding his adopted son. He whistles a quick arpeggio sending the Yaka arrow flying. The deadly bolt burns through the lock on the crate and the box pops open like a clam shell as he approaches. The Captain's heart pounds, he knows at least one person will die depending on what he finds in that case 'cause he's getting quite attached to that scrawny Terran, though he'd murder everyone before admitting it.

The boy looks like a tumbled ragdoll and his lips are tinted blue. There's no blood, fortunately, and there don't seem to be any terribly odd angles to Peter's limbs. The Captain notices a thready pulse in Quill's neck.

Must 'a been unconscious 'fore hittin' the ground, Yondu thinks, small mercies. "Peter..."

Yondu slides his hand under Quill's head and begins to lift him up, Peter spasms and sucks in a great lungful of air. Udonta didn't realize he was holding his own breath 'til the boy started moving. Heady relief fills the Centaurian despite the kid's panicked flailing.

"Hey, hey, hey," the blue alien murmurs as he gathers the squirming child into his arms, "Peter."

Peter stops struggling at the sound of the gruff voice; his blue eyes, bright and bloodshot, roll wildly and he gasps like a fish out of water.

"Slow down, son," Yondu says gently, "Wakin' up from asphyxiatin's a real bitch. Slow down." He locks eyes with the boy and draws a deep, slow breath in through his nose and lets it out slowly through his mouth, prompting the kid to do the same. "There ya go... Yer a tough li'l bugger, you know that," he says as he gives Peter a quick once-over and then rises to his feet.

Quill groans and hisses as his Captain picks him up. "Ca-p'n..," Peter croaks, he coughs, "I tried ta do... what you said..." The little boy whimpers as Yondu adjusts his hold on him, "... hurts..."

"I know," Udonta says softly, he grimaces at the bruises blooming over Peter's skin, "I know it hurts..."


	8. Chapter 8

They've been walking for a little while now, and Peter drifts in and out as Yondu carries him through the lower hold. The boy startles awake suddenly and lifts his head with a gasp. He looks around quickly and huffs before resting his cheek on his adoptive father's shoulder.

"That was bad advice," Peter murmurs tiredly.

Yondu chuckles softly, surprised by the words. "S'cuze me?"

"I did what you told me," Quill says quietly. He shifts and winces at the movement, "Ow! ... I kicked 'im in the face, but Narblik and Wretch caught him. Gef didn' drop... I couldn' get away."

"That don' mean I gave you bad advice," his gruff voice is gentle. 'Who this kid think he is?' Yondu glances sideways at the child, "Questionable, maybe, but you'd'a gotten away if you weren't outnumbered."

Peter makes a face, "Mm," he knows that's true, he didn't stand a snowball's chance against the three of them, but if it was just Gef... "Cap'n?"

"Hm?"

"Can I have a blaster?" he asks as fiddles with epaulets on Udonta's coat.

Yondu smiles and he chuckles again, "You still got a lot ta learn before I put a blaster in your hands, son." He feels the boy sag against him and he resists the urge to rub the child's back to comfort him. "Aw, don' be like that..." the Captain tips his head to rest his cheek against Peter's, "We gotta work on yer improvising first. Can't have ya shootin' up my crew ev'ry time they go after you, can I?"

"S'pose not..."

"Tha's right. Hit my link for me," Yondu says and lifts his head, "It's in my collar, gotta make some arrangements."


	9. Chapter 9

"You MORON!" POW! The Ravager Captain hits Gef so hard, his goggles fly right off his head and Kraglin catches them as they fly by him.

Half-nut giggles wildly and shoves Gef back toward their Captain.

"You jeop'rdized three quarters of a billion units tenderizin' that boy," Yondu yells, waving to the boy in question.

Any disciplinary action draws a crowd, even to med-bay, and the assembled pirates boisterously agree with their clan leader. "YEAH!" "You tell 'em!" "Cap's right!" "AYE!" "Dammit, Gef!"

Gef blubbers and quakes as he stands before his Captain and clan. "I, I, I..." but Yondu claps a hand on his shoulder, silencing him. A look from the Captain quiets the rest of them as well.

"We're launching a full-scale raid on a Tivan Group mining station in two hours," Udonta hollers so his men can hear him, he gives his First Mate a meaningful glance.

"Ev'ryone better be ready!" Kraglin yells, reinforcing his Captain's words. The Ravagers rumble with assent.

"There are three things we're after on this mission!"

"Three of 'em! ...Shut up, Vorker," Kraglin slaps the pirate next to him, "You know what they are!" Again, the men concur.

Yondu glares at Gef, who now seems confused as to whether or not he's in trouble. "One of those things," the Captain says, "A very powerful field inversion device, has to be carried through 438 meters of ventilation shafts to be planted where we need it!" Yondu looks over the crowd, "And who do you think's doin' that job?"

"QUILL!" the Ravagers cheer. Gef flinches at the cry and blinks his beady eyes, rapidly, at his blurry comrades. He definitely knows he's in trouble now.

"Now, Gef," Yondu growls, he wraps an arm around the rotund pirate's shoulders and turns him to face his victim, "Does 'at skinny, little thing look 'e c'n shimmy through 400 meters of ducting right now?"

Gef rubs his surprisingly under-sized eyes and blinks at the scene before him, "Uh... mmm... well..." There's a tap on his arm and his goggles are pushed into his hand. Gef pulls them on, quick as he can, and looks again; he cringes at what he sees, "...No."

Peter stands on a lighted platform, dressed only in his Underoos; or, more accurately, Oblo holds Peter upright on the scanner, since the child can't do it on his own. Massive, blue and purple bruises cover the boy's body; they spread from sickly yellow impact-points at most of Quill's joints, making him seem sharp and misshapen. The molding from the bottom of the crate has left a swiftly purpling impression on Peter's stomach, and the rest of him has a slightly grayish tone from the sheer number contusions. Gef can't even tell if the kid's conscious.

Yondu leans close to his wayward subordinate, "Say that for me ag'in, Gef. Do you think Mr. Quill, here, is capable of doin' his job right now?"

"M'no..." Gef's chin trembles.

"NO!" Yondu socks Gef in gut, doubling him over, and the Ravagers laugh. The Captain kicks Gef's leg, dropping the bearded pirate to the floor. "If that kid can't do his part when I need him," Yondu grabs Gef's lapels, forcing him meet his angry, red gaze, "I'm parin' you down an' you puttin' you through those vents!"

A mean, low, "Ooooo," ripples through the gathered faction.

"Get him outta here!" the faction leaders shouts, and shoves Gef toward his comrades, "We gotta siege ta ready!" The Ravagers cheer and yell and drag Gef along as they storm out of the med-bay to prepare their ships. "Kraglin!"

"Cap'n. Everything's good on her end," the First Mate says before he heads off to oversee their final preparations.

"Half-nut, Brahl" Yondu calls to his bodyguards, "You know what I want."


	10. Chapter 10

Peter blearily watches his Captain give quiet orders to Oblo and the beetle-like Doc, but he doesn't have the energy to even be curious about it. His whole body throbs with his heartbeat and waves of nausea roll over him with frightening regularity. This is the pits...

The young Terran's eyes drift closed, and he thinks about the fights he used have with the boys on Earth. Those were the days... maybe he can sneak a knife outta the Captain's locker.

Quill feels a hand take his chin and lift his head, he knows it's Yondu without opening his eyes. The Ravager Captain is the only one on the ship that's occasionally so gentle with him.

"Looks like yer fallin' asleep sittin' up, son," Udonta says softly, "I've changed some of the plans, Peter, you payin' attention?"

"Yessir," the boy squints as he opens his eyes, but he smiles a tiny bit.

"'At's my boy... Doc'll get you level, then Oblo's gonna take you to Madam Sol-ya's. You remember her?"

Peter frowns, that's not the change of plans he was hoping for, "Yes, sir, but..."

Yondu shakes his head, "You're in no position ta argue, boy, you're goin' ta the Madam's."

"You're selling the kid to the Madam?" It's Brahl, he and Half-Nut have just returned to the medical suite with Wretch and Narblik, who glance at one another nervously. Half-Nut giggles.

"What? No! I ain't sellin' the kid ta the Madam," Udonta sneers at his bodyguard, "Quill's abou' ta help me crack the mos' secure vault in this sector, so what the hell would I do that for?! Her surgeon's got an upgrade for his implant."

"I t'ought I w' tha one oop-grradin' tha boy k-k-k-k-k," Doc clicks his whiskery mandibles as he sticks small devices to Peter's back and shoulders; the youngest Ravager flinches slightly, he's still not gotten used to the insectoid medic. "Tk-k-k-k-k, get drressed, boy, y'll feel betterrr-k-k-k in a minute," the Arthrosian says, handing Peter his jumpsuit with a pincer-like appendage.

Yondu rolls his eyes, he feels as if he's surrounded by children, "Not when yer the one that nearly cooked the kid's brain to begin with."

"But Captain, I-k-k-k-k di'n't-t know t'en T'rrrr'ns werrrre mammals t-t-t-t-t."

"That..." Udonta is momentarily stunned, "is the dumbest thing I ever heard you say... Oblo, get Quill outta here, we'll see you at the jump point in an hour."

"Aye, Cap'n," the pirate grabs a rough blanket and simply the bundles the boy up and whisks him away.

The Centaurian pinches the bridge of his nose and waves a signal to his bodyguards. Half-Nut whacks Narblik and Wretch in the back, dropping them to their knees in front of their clan leader. "An' what do you two idiots have to say fer yourselves?"


End file.
